Cupcake Prescription: Chocolate Whiskey Cupcake topped with Whiskey Buttercream Frosting

I have a kindle.  I absolutely love my kindle.  I do not leave home without my kindle. My kindle is my best friend.   While waiting in Denver for my flight home after an extremely rough week at work, I was experimenting with all the gadgets that my kindle offered.  I decided to do a search on cupcake blogs.  I found a cupcake blog called Sugar Loco.  Sugar Loco was talking about a unique cupcake called Biramisu created by a Chef Tony Mantuano from Downtown Disney.  It is like a Tiramisu dessert but made with beer.  I decided the first time I looked at the recipe that this was a cupcake challenge for me.  My only problem was I could not find a single can of beer for the recipe.  I loathe Guiness beer and the only way to buy beer in this city is by the 6 pack.  I guess I am too cheap to buy a 6 pack for just one beer that was needed for the recipe. So I did some research and found another recipe for a Chocolate Whiskey Cupcake topped with a Whiskey Buttercream Frosting.  HELLO! Sounded like the perfect backup cupcake to me!

Chocolate Whiskey Cupcake topped with a Whiskey Buttercream Frosting

CHOCOLATE WHISKEY CUPCAKE
for the cupcake
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup strong coffee
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs

For the whiskey simple syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 T whiskey

For the Frosting
1/2 cup butter
2 cup powder sugar
3 T whiskey
8 oz cream cheese

Directions:
to make cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350.  Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.  Combine the cocoa powder and strong coffee in a small bowl whisk until mixture is smooth.  Set aside and let cool to room temperature.  Once cool, whisk the sour cream and vanilla extract.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.  Stir together wit a fork to combine: set aside

In the bowl, combine the butter and sugar.  Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes).  Beat in the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. 
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With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients and cocoa mixture.  begin and end with dry ingredients.  Beach each addition just until incorporated.  Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners.  Bake 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the simple syrup, combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixtrue is warm and  the sugar has dissolved.  Remove from the heat and stir in the whiskey.  Set aside and let cool until ready to use.

To make frosting, combine butter, sugar, whiskey and cream cheese until light and fluffy.

Once cupcakes are cooked and cooled, poke holes in each cupcake (10 each).  Brush each cupcake with the whiskey simple syrup and then top with the whiskey buttercream frosting.  Dust with cocoa powder.

These cupcakes taste better the longer they sit and the whiskey is absorbed into the cupcake.